


Jewels In Her Hair

by bowlingalleycarpet



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Missing Scene, Naked Cuddling, POV Gwen (Merlin), Post-Episode: s04e12-13 The Sword in the Stone, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, aftermath of their wedding/coronation, crowns, mention of wedding night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28655520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowlingalleycarpet/pseuds/bowlingalleycarpet
Summary: The morning after their wedding, Gwen and Arthur bask in the glow of newlywed happiness.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30
Collections: Gwen Fest





	Jewels In Her Hair

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on virtually no sleep and pain meds, so I've lost the ability to appropriately judge this, but I hope it does Queen Guinevere justice.

It had not been the first night Gwen had spent in this bed, but she delighted in the fact that this was where she would wake up for the rest of her life, in his arms.

It hadn’t been the first time she had lain with him either. Unbidden, her thoughts strayed to that very night, how Arthur, panting and wanting, eyes dark and lips puffy from kissing, had insisted they should wait until the wedding, that it was only proper, that he didn’t want to dishonour her. But she had seen how much effort these words had caused him, how they were at war with his body, how much willpower he had exerted to dislodge himself from her and put distance between them, ever stubborn in his chivalry.

Before she had known it, Gwen had made a decision and had simply shoved him up against the door of her house (after all he couldn’t leave if he couldn’t open it), her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage. Words failing her as her breath caught in her throat, she had looked at him with intent, desire, and determination shining in her eyes, and had kissed him. Afraid to overstep his boundaries, Arthur had let her take the lead, only ever taken what she had offered but given so much more than she had asked for in return by worshipping every bit of her skin. Gwen smiled at the memory. Smiled even harder at the thought of last night.

She was glad that after the mix of anxiety and exhilaration she had experienced that day - at being crowned queen, the scrutiny at wedding feast, all the rules and responsibilities, after worrying that something would go amiss, that she might misstep - _this_ had been familiar, _this_ had been coming home, and _this_ she could enjoy entirely without apprehension. She had been able to fully appreciate the new aspects of their relationship.

Her mind hadn’t been preoccupied with what to do or how to touch him, fretting over whether _this_ or _that_ was good, figuring out what _he_ liked, what _she_ liked. Being with Arthur had been familiar territory, and it had been all the better for that. Their wedding night had been what it was meant to be, a celebration of their union. And in truth, she wouldn’t mind celebrating some more.

Arthur shifted to glance down at Gwen where she was lying curled around his side with her head on his shoulder. His breath tickled her hair, and she could tell that he was about to break the comfortable silence.

“Guinevere Pendragon.”

His voice was quiet but solemn, laced with reverence, as though he was announcing her entrance.

Gwen couldn’t help the elated grin spreading across her face, indeed felt like she was about to burst from happiness. She angled her head up to meet Arthur’s gaze and noticed the matching blissful expression on his face, the pride and wonder shining in his eyes. She climbed to lie atop him, sneaking her legs between his, her chin propped on his chest, and revelled in the intimacy of the feeling of skin-on-skin contact, of his warm body beneath hers, his heart beating under her palm. ~~~~

“I like it,” she whispered. “Being yours.”

His gaze softened, dripping with adoration.

“You already were before”, he replied. “Or at the very least _I_ was _yours_.”

“No, I know,” Gwen said. “But I mean officially being yours.” She paused, chin tucked into his chest as she peered up at _her husband_ , and added appreciatively: “Being your queen.”

Arthur melted at her words, his eyes crinkling further, smile growing even more, and he used his arms slung around her back to pull her impossibly closer. She figured that the muscles in his cheeks had to be as sore as hers from smiling, and she pondered how lucky she was, how lucky _they_ were to find themselves in bed together, _married_.

“After all the years I spent waiting, _we both did_ , this is even sweeter,” Gwen added wistfully, drawing idle patterns onto his skin with her fingers.

Arthur sighed and squeezed her hip. There were unspoken apologies in his eyes, pain and guilt clouding them over, but she kissed them away before his urge to voice them became too overwhelming. There was no need for them anymore.

“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips, swallowing hard. “For waiting.”

“Thank you for choosing me,” she said in response, but Arthur shook his head. “Was there ever another option?”

Gwen’s heart leapt at his words. They both knew there had been others, possibilities he had never truthfully considered, no matter how stifling the pressure had become. Warmth blossomed in her chest, seeped up into her fingertips, at hearing him discard them so easily.

“Well, then thank you for _loving_ me.”

“Easiest job in the world,” he replied flippantly, his fond grin back in place, then brushed his nose against hers in a caress.

“I have _you_ to thank, Guinevere.”

The serious mood dispelled as quickly as it had arisen, as Arthur nipped at her lips, capturing them in a series of increasingly heated kisses. Gwen wriggled in his arms, pleasure spreading from head to toe.

Arthur tightened his hold on her, rolled them over, and Gwen marvelled at his weight on top of her, grounding her, making her feel safe, as his lips trailed over the curve of her ear, then lower and lower.

Her fingers skimmed down his back, following the curve of his spine, before they found their target. Cupping his buttocks with both hands and pressing her lips together to hide a smirk, Gwen squeezed his arse.

Arthur sank his teeth into her neck in retaliation, mimicking a bite as they grazed the skin over her pulse point, and she had to laugh at how light-headed it made her.

She felt a grin pressed into her neck, the vibration of Arthur’s amused chuckle, his breath tickling her skin. Gwen’s stomach fluttered in a surge of affection. She couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of this.

Suddenly Arthur interrupted his onslaught on her throat and pulled away to fix her with a contemplative look, his brows furrowed, and lips pursed.

“What is it?” Gwen asked.

He hesitated, opened and closed his mouth, no sound escaping it, before pursing his lips again and frowning harder, as though he was solving an exceptionally hard riddle. His expression was almost comical considering the circumstances and Gwen gave him a bemused look.

“Arthur?”

He blinked.

“Would it…”

His scrunched-up face looked so endearing, the urge to cup it in her hands and return to kissing him senseless was overpowering. She couldn’t resist pulling him back down to press a quick longing kiss to his mouth, causing him to chuckle and hum against her lips.

“Mmmmmh, insatiable,” Arthur chastised her lightly.

But then his face twisted back into a frown as he tried anew.

“Would it be weird... if I –”

She tilted her head, urging him to continue.

“– if I asked you to wear your crown?”

Gwen let out a laugh and Arthur ducked his head as gave her a slightly sheepish grin, eyes sparkling from underneath his lashes.

“No,” she reassured him. “No, it wouldn’t be weird.”

The smile she received was blinding. He was half-way across the room before Gwen stopped him.

“Arthur?”

He skidded to a sudden halt, throwing her a look over his shoulder.

“Yes, my love?”

His face turned smug as he caught her admiring his naked form, caught her eyes lingering shamelessly on his backside, before trailing up to meet his gaze.

“Bring yours, too. _My lord_.” Gwen added the moniker with emphasis, surprising herself with how husky she sounded.

Arthur froze for a moment, his mouth slack and a dark, hungry look in his eyes. Then, slowly, a wicked grin took over his face, and he replied gravely, his voice low:

“Yes, _your majesty_.”

Gwen had to bite back a laugh, as he basically sprinted towards the cabinet.


End file.
